Brittle nails? It really is because of that

Not only is the nail polish splintering, but also your nails? The two surprising causes of brittle nails - and what really works against them.

Well-groomed, beautiful nails? I only have it for a short time. Namely when they are freshly painted. As soon as the varnish comes off, my nails also split. They have small cracks, are brittle, and come off in layers.

What is the cause of brittle nails?

In fact, there are two completely different types of brittle nails - and both of them have different causes:

• Onychoschisis: The nail tips peel off in layers.
• Onychorrhexis: The nail becomes detached along the fibers.

Do you suffer Onychorrhexis ? Diseases such as lichen planus or a metabolic disease can be to blame for this.

One Onychoschisis indicates a vitamin or iron deficiency or an underactive thyroid. You may also have too often contact with leaching water - hairdressers and water sports enthusiasts in particular suffer from this form of splintering nails.

But there are also other causes of splintering, brittle nails:

• Your nail polish remover may be too aggressive.
• Your dish soap will attack your nails.
• If you are calcium deficient, you should consume more spinach, nuts, and hard cheese.
• Brittle nails are often a consequence of rheumatic diseases.

So if you cannot blame water, cosmetics or dish soap for your permanently brittle nails, then you should mention this symptom at your next health check with your doctor or health care professional.

What helps against brittle nails?

• As simple as it sounds, it is also effective: Use gloves when washing up to protect your damaged nails.
• Nail hardeners, nail oils and nail creams support the nail bed with regenerative vitamins and make the brittle nails supple again.
• Thanks to their fine grain, sand leaf files or glass nail files are gentler than normal files and better than nail scissors.
• You can also strengthen your nails from the inside out by consuming silicon-containing silica every day. You can also buy silica in health food stores and stir it into your muesli.
• In order to harden the nail plates, there are varnishes that form a protective layer and fill grooves.